The Sunday herald., 1887-01-09

view. At 6 O'Clock Consling came to dinner met
Mr.. and Mrs Frank Howe for the first time, went 10
the White House, stayed until after twelve, re.
turned, and sat mp with the IIowes and Murphy til
three Grant, Conkllng, and Murphy continued
crones for years, uuiil about year ago Murphy
told Conkling OF Grants original estimate OF him
"he Is his own worst enemy" "what did he mean
by that?" demanded Consllng OF Murphy. "Not
that you drank to much," explained Murphy, "bu,
thst you antagonlzed people by your manner y
Murphy Is now one OF the antagonized Conkline
certainly has q wonderful facility In making en-.
emies. asked Murphy what had become of the
Howes. lie said Col. Frank had gone to Paris
years ago, became Impoverished. was at one time
messenger TO the American Legation there, and had
died In poverty and misery.
The past week has been marked by the death OF
three men OF three different types, and each OF them
city character. Sheppard f. Knapp, the stock
broker, was perhaps the one with the most marked
characteristics lie was that paradox-a most re.
trlng aud unobtruslve yet popular public character
seen everywhere and sought after by everybody yet
obtrudng nowhere and seeking no new acquaint-
ances. lie was a member OF nearly every club IN
New York, yet always sought the quetest corner In
each house. He was regarded somewhat In the
ight OF sporting man, seen on every race-course.
at every walking or boxing match, yet never asso-
ciating with sports nor .induging In betting. lie
was one OF the few wall-sreet brokers doing an i'm.
acquaintances and friends yet never speculatlnp on
his own account He was very wealthy by To-
heritancc, and his brokerage business brought him
an ample Income, which he spent freely. No man
approached him for charity to he denied, even
where the evidences Of fraud were clear, and o
business man who applied to him when In strait
ever got any other reply than "Come In and get
yonr check" He was constant drinker, always OF
brandy without water, yet nobody ever saw him nm.
balanced. n A fouv hov
his death he turned to friend, who had remarked
upon his extraordinary appearance, and said :
John, there Is great mystery about this disease Of
mine. Where do you suppose all this water came
from: You know never drank It,"
Bishop Horatio Potter, for thirty years In charge
OF the Episcopal Diocese OF New York, was probably
the most prominent representative of church aris.
tocracy In this country. His family have been, as 1t
were. grated on to the church so numerously that
In New York City the Episcopal Church has been
facetlonsly called the "Protestant Episcopal Pot.
terry" Between the Potter and Dix famliles-the
one holding the fort at Grace and the other at
Trinity Church-thcse arlstocrats OF the church
seem to have about owned 1t.
Joseph w. Harper was one ofthe second genera
tons OF Harper Brothers, though he never eu-
tered the firm as member Of 1t. lie was a son of
Fletcher Harper, the youngest and most energetic
OF the original four who built up the largest publish
ing house In the world. Joseph W. was named Jo.
seph Wesley after his uncle. Almost all the origl-
nal Harper family ami many Of their sons and grand.
sons were named after the Wesley family and the
third generation OF the Harper Brothers got consld.
erably mixed up There was, for instance, the
original Joseph Wesley, who had a son named
Joseph Wesley, and Joseph Wesley, Fletchers son,
had himself a son named Joseph Henry II used TO
be difficult to distinguish them In the house where all
were employed, and they gradually became to be
known as"Mr. Joseph W." (for the Originally "Joe
Brooklyn" (or his SON. "Joe 22d" or the lust de.
ceased man, and "Joe Henry" (for his sony There
were several Johns, who were designated "Colonel
John" "the Colonel's John, "and "Fifth Avenue
Jack" There are something like dozen or more
surviving male members Of the nrm, and each has
been reared In the house In capacity until each
isfamar with the minutes details of the vast busi-
ness. have seen the nrm alluded to In print quite
seriously, rs far as l could make out, as
"Harper, Brothers 4 Cousins" They are about
as happy business family as exists, guess. Some
years ago when Charles Dickens was last In this
country he visited the Harper establishment, hav-
ing previously announced when he would call. Mr. .
Dickens short time before his visit had authorized
Fields, osgood X 20. to publish an edition OF his
works, and in writing them said theirs was the oply
American firm which had ever paid him for his
work. Tho Harpers had paid his English publishers
for Dickens some $4,000 for advance sheets, and
were so indignant that they would not receive him
time and met Mr.. Dickens, and during his stay l
asked him II the Harpers-the originals, I mean
were not the originals OF his "Cheeryble Brothers"
In "Nicholas Nickleby," but he felt too much the
slight put upon him, though he richly deserved IT, to
answer aflrmativey, II my guess had been the cor
rect one. i always imagined the pictures of the
"CheerJb!e Brothers" were drawn from John aud
James Harper not only because the characteristics
OF the real aud fictitious personages aliko but
because they had brow beating "Tm LinHen-
water OF clerk in the person OF their cashier, now
good -natured, facetious old pensoner OF the nrm
whose only duty Ia TO go each month to the ofice
and draw his pension OF $500 and crack dry Joke or
two with the "boys."
Julian Hawthorne's latest piece OF boorlshness has
been to dispute, In his ruiest way before gather
ing OF intellectual men snd women, the claims of
George Elliot to be considered novelist. Hethnks
she was only clever story.teller. Now everybody
s inqnlrlng how Hawthorne can be regarded as a
competent critic on this precise point.
Do not despair quite yet of the nnal triumph of
the dress reform which Ia to result In ladies' dofing
their hats In theatres. Modlstes have Invented
pretty caps OF coquettlsh patterns, and nublas for
head-dresses at the theatres are quite In vogue.
Large theatre parties are formed for the main pur-
Pose OF popularizlng the movement. At the recent
professional matinee OF "Jm, the Penman," at the
Madison Square Theatre, sat near Miss Stella
Boniface, the actress. In front OF her was lady
with high hat. "oh," sighed the pretty Boniface.
~ can't see the stage at ALL" The lady In front of
OF her turned, and with a bewltching smile which
lighted up into loveness particularly sweet face.
said, 81 suspect 1t Is the fault OF my hat" and she
quietly removed 1t and laid It In her lap. "Oh! /
thank you," said Miss Boniface. and she immedl.
ately removed hers for the benent Of the nelghbor
behind. The example was partly contagious, and
numbers OF other hats were doFed In other parts OF
the house. unier these crcum stances he reform
| ought to spread. WILLIAM +. g. SHANKs